Experiences, Perspectives and Knowledge of Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Three Inclusive Education Schools in Bhutan

Abstract

<p>This qualitative study on parents' experiences, perspectives and knowledge of inclusive education (IE) of their children with SEN in three schools in Bhutan is first of its kind in the Bhutanese context. Inclusive education in Bhutan, initiated in 2001-2002, is still in the developing stage. This thesis is presented as a thesis by publication and comprises five papers that address five different themes as reported by parents of their experiences, perspectives and knowledge of the IE of their children. Twenty-six parents (13 fathers and 13 mothers) of children with SEN who attend three public inclusive education schools in different regions (urban, semi-urban and rural) of Bhutan participated in the study. The qualitative data gathering method of in-depth interview was used to collect data from the parents. Two forms of data analysis techniques were used, namely, thematic coding analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) and a text-mining software, Leximancer (Smith, 2000).</p><p> The first chapter is an introduction to the thesis. It provides a description of the Bhutanese geographical setting, a brief history of the Bhutanese education system and the information on the move towards educating for Gross National Happiness (GNH), followed by developments in special educational needs (SEN) and inclusive education in Bhutan. This chapter also sets the socio-cultural context of disability in Bhutan, with a brief description of inclusive education policy and practices in Bhutan. The conceptual framework is presented as a combination of Epstein's overlapping spheres of influence, Epstein's six types of involvement and the Bronfenbrenner ecological systems theory model. The first chapter concludes with the research questions, purpose and significance of the study, and a list of definition of terms.</p><p> The second chapter presents a detailed discussion of the methodology applied in conducting this study, and outlines and justifies the choice of research paradigm, the design of the study, the selection of participants and the data gathering strategy. The development of the interview protocol and guide is outlined, including the piloting of the interview guide, and the final interview guide. The translation process and the use of an interpreter are also highlighted. The methods used to establish the trustworthiness and consistency of the study are presented, the ethical standards are considered and approaches to data analyses are presented. The position as a researcher is discussed followed by a brief outline of the structure of the remaining chapters.</p><p> The third chapter consists of a journal article, that focuses on the expectations of parents when including their children in the schools. Their expectations were determined by the type and severity of their child's disability. This paper is currently under review with the <i>International Journal of Disability, Development and Education</i>.</p><p> The fourth chapter reports the parents' perceptions of the benefits and concerns of educating their children in the IE schools. The severity of the disability in the child, placement of the child, parents socioeconomic background, and type of region determined the parents' perceptions of benefits and concerns. A shortened version of this chapter is currently under review with the <i>International Journal of Inclusive Education</i>.</p><p> The fifth chapter outlines how parents are involved in supporting the needs of the child both at school and at home. Factors such as gender, educational background, socioeconomic activities and the nature of the child's disability are shown to influence parental involvement. This paper has recently been submitted for consideration of review with the <i>European Journal of Special Needs Education</i>.</p><p> The sixth chapter outlines the results of the parents' communication and collaboration experiences with the school. This study confirmed that there is minimal or no communication and collaboration between the parents and the school personnel. This paper was published in the <i>International Journal of Inclusive Education</i> in early 2018.</p><p> The seventh chapter comprises an investigation into the parents' awareness and knowledge of policies and legislation for IE of children with SEN. The results indicated that the majority of parents are not aware of the policies of IE for children with SEN and the educational rights of children. Although there were a few parents in the urban region who reported being aware of the IE policies for children with SEN, these parents were not able to articulate with clarity the policies and educational rights. This paper is currently under review with the <i>Asia Pacific Journal of Education</i>.</p><p> The final chapter presents the summary of findings of all the research themes, including the expectations, benefits/concerns, involvement, communication and collaboration and policy, with the application of the findings to the conceptual framework. The implications of the findings both for policy and practice, and recommendations for future research conclude the thesis.</p>